Neat News - Neat things do happen

In 2015 for the first time gravitational waves were detected. Now some have been measured from supermassive black holes that are about to merge. Observing this, scientists hope to gain new insights in the makeup of the Universe.

related: #gravity #gravitational_waves

In order to limit global warming the development in China is very important and although there is worrying news about the extension of carbon dioxide emissions by coal, the extension of China's green energy production by solar and wind is growing much faster and the target for 2030 may be achieved five years earlier than planned.

related: #renewable #global_warming

Bullies often use their power to give weaker people an increasingly bad deal. New results in game theory show that such weaker parties can stand up to the bullies by not cooperating at all, even if they lose out a bit as long as the bully loses out even more.

related: #game_theory #fairness

To protect oceans, there are innovative approaches to pulling plastic out of rivers, for instance, by using floating barrages. By surveying rivers the measures can be targeted to the most polluted ones. An important point is to create a circular economy for river plastic to make the measures economically viable.

related: #river #plastic #pollution

Novel solar cells using perovskite have a new record conversion rate of energy of 24.35 percent.

related: #solar #conversion #perovskite

A new smartphone app, called FeverPhone, has been developed that uses the touchscreen and the existing battery temperature sensors to measure a patient's temperature to an accuracy comparable to standard fever thermometers.

related: #app #fever #temperature_measurement

Since water is becoming increasingly precious, different approaches are needed to save or harvest it. In a film different approaches are shown. For instance, 30 percent of the water is lost to leakage, which can be much reduced by surveying leakage from space. Another approach is to harvest water from fog by nets with an especially large surface.

related: #water #harvest #saving

A new material has been produced that can be used as a gel to be put in joints - such as the knee or the hip - so that it can serve as cartilage while the body regenerates its own cartilage. To this end it has to satisfy three properties: stiffness, toughness, and biodegradability.

related: #cartilage #regeneration #gel

The Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) has voted to protect large parts of the world's oceans from pollution and unsustainable fishing.

related: #protection #oceans

In a study with people between 40 and 69 it was found that regular daytime naps are related to a larger total brain volume, an indicator for good brain health and a lower risk of dementia.

related: #nap #brain_health

Noncaloric sweeteners often do not match the taste of sugar. New research found that adding a small amount of mineral salt can make the taste significantly better.

related: #zero_calorie_sweetener #salt

Most existing medication treating multiple sclerosis is about damping the immune system so that it does not attack nerve cells. A new approach - using the over the counter antihistamine clemastine - is different in that it helps to rebuild a protective insulation, called myelin, around nerve fibres. Experiments with 50 patients showed promise; more research is needed.

related: #multiple_sclerosis #antihistamine

Thanks to vaccinations, cases of polio were reduced by some 99 percent, with the illness now mainly occurring only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. More cases are now vaccine-derived than wild cases. A new safer form of the vaccine has now been produced and in first tests looks very promising.

related: #polio #vaccination

There are different diets and calorie restrictions that have a positive effect in the fight against diabetes Type 2. A new study finds that intermittent fasting and reducing the number of meals can in its own already have a positive effect.

related: #intermittent_fasting #meals #diabetes2

A new jelly-like metal-free electrode has been developed that one day may be used to produce a soft but robust material to make electrodes in medical devices such as pacemakers.

related: #jelly #pacemaker

After sand thieves left a deserted river area in Tamil Nadu, India, a social activist revitalized it by planting about 7000 trees such as mangroves.

related: #reforestation

In some countries there are pilot projects with a 4-day workweek. It showed not only quite popular with workers, but also resulted in a noticeably lower carbon footprint mainly because of reduced commuting.

related: #4day_workweek #carbon

Some very old form of life has been detected in billion year old rock. The single-celled organism seems to have been adapted to an environment that contained much less oxygen than today's atmosphere. Around 800 million years ago there was a shift in life and it was displaced by other life forms.

related: #life #oxygen #single_celled

A new satellite is to launch today to check individual roofs and walls of houses in the UK in order to detect where better insulation is needed. It is one measure to make the country climate-neutral by 2050.

related: #insulation #satellite

A new study finds that a molecule, called taurine, which is produced in our bodies and also found in algae, for instance, plays a role in health and lifespan. If given as a supplement to middle-aged mice their lifespans can be extended by up to 12 percent. More research is needed.

related: #taurine #lifespan #supplement

Four siblings aged 13, 9, 4, and 1, were found alive in Colombia's Amazon jungle after 40 days on their own after a plane crash in which the three accompanying adults, including their mother, were killed. The children are now airlifted to hospital.

related: #rescue #Amazon

A new skin patch has been clinically tested and shown to lower the risk of severe allergic reactions. The 1-3 year old toddlers had to go through a year-long immunotherapy. If finally approved it would be the first effective treatment for such young children.

related: #allergy #skin_patch #immunotherapy

A new study finds that fungi store more then a third of the annual CO₂ emissions and keep them out of the atmosphere in the ground. Fungi may have a bigger role to play in order to achieve the net zero CO₂ emissions goal.

related: #fungi #CO2

In a new study, sound was supplemented by movements such as clenching the jar or applying pressure to the forehead for 30 minutes per day in order to treat somatic tinnitus. This resulted for many participants in a noticeable reduction in the pitch or loudness experienced.

related: #tinnitus #treatment

A new type of wound dressing for burn victims has been developed which is produced using a 3D-printer. The dressing tries to find a good compromise between making adhesion work and being able to be taken off the skin.

related: #wound #dressing

In a three year study with children between 6 and 10 years, it has been found that giving a daily drop of a low dose of atropine can inhibit the elongation of the eye and thereby preventing shortsightedness getting worse.

related: #shortsightedness #atropine

A new study has confirmed the generally held belief that sleep is important for the consolidation of memory. Also stimulating a part of the brain during sleep seems to deepen the memory consolidation.

related: #sleep #memory

In a test with 5000 people with cancer symptoms, a blood test revealed the cancer in two thirds of the cases and in 85 percent of those cases located the primary tumour. The test is suitable for more than 50 types of cancer.

related: #blood_test #cancer

It has long been known that electric wires can be used to ionize air to form a loudspeaker. Now the same effect has been used for noise cancellation. This has potential application of a highly-efficient thin-layered noise reduction tool.

related: #noise #cancellation #plasma

In experiments with mice it has been found that providing them with a diet with moderate amounts of protein leads to healthier mice and a longer life.

related: #protein #diet